Home / World / Ukraine News Today Mar. 3, 2017: Head of the State Fiscal Service Nasirov suspended from office; Russia ready to open up Ukraine talks to U.S. – EurActiv; Situation deteriorates in Donbas: 116 enemy attacks reported with 1 soldier killed, 15 wounded

Ukraine News Today Mar. 3, 2017: Head of the State Fiscal Service Nasirov suspended from office; Russia ready to open up Ukraine talks to U.S. – EurActiv; Situation deteriorates in Donbas: 116 enemy attacks reported with 1 soldier killed, 15 wounded

Ukraine News Today: Head of the State Fiscal Service Nasirov suspended from office; Russia ready to open up Ukraine talks to U.S. – EurActiv; Situation deteriorates in Donbas: 116 enemy attacks reported with 1 soldier killed, 15 wounded; OSCE drone downed by militants in Donetsk region

Cabinet suspends Nasirov from the post of the Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine

The Government of Ukraine has removed Roman Nasirov from the post of the Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. The decision was approved at the Cabinet’s meeting at the suggestion of Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk, Joinfo.com reports with reference to Ukrinform.

“I suggest suspending Roman Nasirov from his duties as the Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine for the period of investigation,” Danylyuk said.

March 2, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine (SAPU) held a number of raids in the State Fiscal Service’s offices. Roman Nasirov is charged under Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (the abuse of power or official position). NABU suspects that the installment plan for rent payments for gas production, which had been approved by the State Fiscal Service, was part of the scheme by MP Oleksandr Onyshchenko’s firms on misappropriation of funds PJSC Ukrgasvydobuvannia in the amount of UAH 740.07 million.

Russia ready to open up Ukraine talks to U.S. – EurActiv

Russia has indicated it is ready to open the so-called ‘Normandy’ negotiation format over the crisis in eastern Ukraine to the United States, which appears to be a major shift in relations between Moscow and Washington after the election of Donald Trump, according to EurActiv, according to UNIAN.

The so-called ‘Normandy format’ was set up after French President Francois Hollande gathered the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and host country France around one table, on the 70th anniversary of the Allied D-Day landings that helped turn the tide during World War Two, according to EurActiv.

A series of meetings in this format were held, notably those that produced the Minsk agreements. Russia’s ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov told the Rossiya 24 TV channel Thursday that the idea of expanding the Normandy format was not something entirely new.

Ukraine’s representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral contact group on Donbas settlement and First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Gerashchenko believes the extension of the existing Normandy format is possible.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie L. Yovanovitch in November said that the issue of the U.S. joining the Normandy format was not on the agenda.

Russia’s hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 116 times in the past 24 hours, according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters, Joinfo.com reports with reference to UNIAN.

In the Mariupol sector, the Russian occupation forces fired Grad MLR systems toward the Ukrainian positions near the village of Vodiane. They also opened fire from a tank near the village of Hnutove, as well as mortars in the town of Krasnohorivka, and the villages of Novotroyitske, Vodiane and Hnutove. Rocket-propelled grenades and small arms were used to shell the town of Mar’inka, and the villages of Shyrokyne, Starohnativka, Lebedynske and Talakivka. A sniper was active in Shyrokyne, Lebedynske and Maryinka. Additionally, the enemy used infantry fighting vehicles firing at the villages of Novohryhorivka and Hnutove. In the Luhansk sector, the occupiers fired 152mm artillery systems on the village of Novozvanivka and the town of Lysychansk, as well as mortars of various calibers, on the villages of Novo-Oleksandrivka, Novotoshkivske, Novozvanivka, Katerynivka,

In the Luhansk sector, the occupiers fired 152mm artillery systems on the village of Novozvanivka and the town of Lysychansk, as well as mortars of various calibers, on the villages of Novo-Oleksandrivka, Novotoshkivske, Novozvanivka, Katerynivka, Krymske and Malynove. “In the Donetsk sector, the invaders opened fire from a tank, 120mm and 82mm mortars

“In the Donetsk sector, the invaders opened fire from a tank, 120mm and 82mm mortars on the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Novoluhanske, Zaitseve, Pisky and Butivka coal mine. Grenade launchers were used to shell the villages of Opytne, Pisky and Kamianka. The village of Luhanske came under fire from infantry fighting vehicles, and the villages of Maiorsk and Nevelske came under fire from small arms. Moreover, a sniper was active in the villages of Kamianka, Novotroyitske and Novhorodske. Furthermore, the enemy fired anti-aircraft guns on Avdiyivka and the village of Troyitske,” the report says.

Militants down OSCE SMM’s drone near Donetsk filtration plant

OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine has reported on the downing of the organization’s unmanned aerial vehicle in close proximity to the Donetsk filtration plant. “OSCE SMM UAV went down near Donetsk Filtration Station after SMM heard small-arms fire, despite sec guarantees. Unacceptable,” the OSCE SMM tweeted.